Disteigt of



remesa I VVILIIIAM C. DODGE AND PHILIP T. DODGE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA., ASSIGNORS TO E. REMINGTON & SONS, OF ILION, NEW YORK.

demowares? In eaeecH-LoAmne Fine-Aerea i Specification forming p art of Letters Patent No. l27,683, dated June 11, `1572.

SPECIFICATION.

'To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, WILLIAMC. and PHILIP T. DODGE, of Washington City, in the county of Vashington, District of Columbia, have in vented certa-in- Improvements in Breech-Loading Guns, et' which the following isa specilication, rei'erence'being had to the accompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to breech-loadin g guns; and the invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts soas to force the firingpin baclr by a positive movement; in opening the breech; in a method of locking the breech closed by the act of swinging it shut and before the gun is tired; and in anovel method of constructing and arranging the lookin g-shoulder and firing-pin, so as to dispense with the projecting nose of the hammer, all as hereinafter more fully described. I

Figure l is a longitudinal section of `the breech part of a gun embodying our improvements. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, andi() are views of portions, showing various'modifications.

Cnr improvements are intended more especially for that style of breech-loadin g arm which has its brocoli-block pivoted at the rear of the barrel, and which is opened by swinging the breech-block backward and downward, which style of arm, being well known, need not be further described. In this class of guns there isalways more or less danger of prematurely exploding the cartridge by the closing or the breech-block; and this danger is increased by the liability of the firing-pin to become jammedior stuck fast inits seat, with its front end protruding. It is to obviate or overcome this diculty ordange'r that our rst improvement is intended; and to accomplish this very desirable object we arrange the ring-, pin in such a manner that it shall be drawn back by a positive movement in the act of opening the breech. This may be done in a variety of ways, as illustrated in the drawing.

In Fig. l the firing-pin e is shown connected to the upper end of a vertical lever, j', which is pivoted at o in a recess made for it iithe the breech-block B, the lower end oi' the eter f protrn ding below the rear face of the block B, and arranged to strike upon anincline or stad, ne, which projects upward from thebottom of the frame G, as represented in Fig. 1,

Y the rlover f and the incline m being so arranged in relation to each other that, as the breech swings open, the lever will strike the incline, and thereby cause its upper end to draw back the firing-pin.

In Fig. 2 it is shown with the lever f omitted, the stud m being represented as projecting higher up, with its opposite face inclined, so that, as the breech-block B is swung back, the stud m will entera recess, o, and also a hole, l, in the ring-pin e, and thus force it back. Instead of the hole Z there may be a rform of an arm t'o hit the stud, and thus force back its point-this operating on the same principle as that shown in Fig. l, except that in this case the firing-pin and lever are all in one piece, and swing instead of slide.

In Fig. 5 is shown a similar style of swingingring-pin, but so modified in form as to permit it to be pivoted on the saine bolt t as the breech-block. In this case a spring arm,

' g, having a hook on its'end, is arranged to engage in a notch, i, cnt in the rear under edge of the firing-pin or plate e when the latter, with the breech-block, is turned back.' This hook, engaging with the notch i, will hold the pin or plate e securely until the breech-block, in closing, has moved far enough to cause its shoulder x to strike the spring or arm g, and thus force its hook out of the notch i, when the firing-pin will be free to move with the breech-bloclr as the latter is forced home or closed. A pin, b, may be inserted, :as represented, to prevent the firing-pin from falling over back beyond a given point. Another notch,beveled or inclined on both sides, may

also be formed in the lower edge'of the pin orv plate e at 'such a point that the hook of arm g `will rest therein'when the breech is closed,

as representedhin Fig. 5, in order to hold the firing-pin in its proper position to be hit by the hammer, and also serve to draw it back the'lug I) with an offset or shoulder, as there slightly as soon as relieved from^the blow or represented, the breech will belocked before pressure of the hammer. it is entirely closed, the same as in our former .All the forms thus far described are dcpatent. To release this latch L, so that the signed to be used with that style of gun in breech may be opened, we pivot to the sideof whichthe breech-blockl is made of. a single the breech-block B a lever, F, the upper end piece, and is locked fast by a shoulder swingof which terminates in a thumb-piece, E, for

ing in behind it, as represented in Figs. 1 and2. operating it and the breech-block, while its In the patent issued to us March 14,1871, lower end extends down below the breech- I we have shown and described a gun in. which block and terminates in an incline or beveled the breech-block is made lin two parts, one of face, which, as the lever Ais operated, strikes which serves to lock the other fast. This form against an inclined projection, e, on the latch oi breech-block 1s shown in Figs. 7,8, and 10, L, thereby depressing the latter and releasing and, with certain modifications to be hereinthe breech-block. This latch is not intended Z after explained, in Figs. 4 and19 also. In this to receive the strain when the gun is regularstyle of gun the iiring-pin may be arranged to ly discharged, but simply to operate as a safebe moved by the swinging or locking part C ty-guard, by preventing the breech-block from of the breech-block. being blown open by a premature or accidental .In Figs.7 and 8 the arm or thumb-piece that discharge. This safety arrangement may be operates the part C` is fitted in a recess in the used either with the locking-shoulder n, shown part B longside of the firing-pin e, to which in Fig. 1, or with the part C described in our it is connected by a shoulder or slot and pin, patent of March 14,1871, and as shown inFigs. or in any other suitable manner; so' that, as 4 and 9 of this application, in which the lever the thumb-piece E is drawn back to unlock F and lthe locking-part()` are represented' as the breech, it will also draw back the iiringall in one piece. It is, however, more especial- 'pin, the ring-pin being left free to move when ly designed for use with the former, as in the hit by the hammer, by the thumb-piece movlatter it is not necessary, the part C'perforlning forward out of its way as the breech is ing the same function, as well asreceiving the locked again. I force of the explosion when the gun is red.

In Figs. 9 and l0 the firing-pin c is shown In Fig. 5 is shown ourimprovement by whichy with an .arm, r, projecting laterally, so as to we dispense with the ordinary nose of thehambe hit by the arm 'or thumb-piece of the part mer. Ordinarily the hammer is made as rep- G, the operation being precisely the same, and resented in Fig. 1; but when so made the rdrawing back the tiring-pin by apositive moveing-pin e has to be inclined, or-the nose of the ment in opening the breech of the gun. Inhammerwill be so-high whencocked as to be d 4 stead of having the ring-pln operated by the' in the way of the introduction of the cartridge armof part C, as described',it may be made into the chamber of the gun. By making the with a laterally-projecting arm arranged 'to tiring-pin as shown in Fig. 5 it will be hitby strike 'against an incline on, or work in an inthe front edge of the shoulder n as the latter clined groove in, the inner face ofthe frame swings in behind the breech-block, and thus G', as also,l shown in Fig. 2, in which y reprethe blow is struck by the locki1:l,.;-shonldern,

sents the incline on the side of the frame G. instead of by the nose of the hammer, the lat- Any of these various plans may be adopted at ter being thereby dispensed with entirely. the option of the manufacturer, that last de- It is obvious that the firing-pin, instead of scribed being equally applicable to either style being made in the form of a pivoted plate, as

of breech-block.` To lock the breech closed, there shown, may be made of two sliding pins,

before the hammer descends, we make the the front one being placedhorizontally within breech-block B with aprojection or lug, D, on the breech-block, and the latter being inclined its lower side, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the from the rear end of the front ne downto the frame G being made deeper than heretofore, required point to be hit by the shoulder n. so as to permit thislugD to be of considerable As the shoulder must lock vunder the breech length, and thus Aafford a leverage .below the before it can reach` the Ifiring-pin, the charge l axis t equal to that of the breech-block above cannot possibly be exploded bythe blow until,

it, or nearly so. We then provide a latch, L, after the breech is securely locked.

which may be pivoted on'the same bolt with It will be observed that by this construction."

' the hammer, as shown inFig. 1,either by stradof the arm it is rendered more safe, while at dlin g the lower part 4of the hammeror fitting the same time the number of motions required i on one side of it; or it may be pivoted to the for its manipulation is not increased at all.

frame at any other point Where. it will not be Having thus described our invention, what in the way of the other parts. This latch L we claim, is-

is provided with a shoulder on its upper side, 1. In combination with the breech-block B, v

arranged to engage with the front face of the we claim the retraeting firing-pin c, arrange lug I), when forced up by the' spring a as the to operate substantially as descr1bed, whereby breech is closed. In order to render it more the opening of the breech shall dra-w back thesecure, the front end. of the latch may rest firing-pin, as set forth.l l a against a shoulder, fu, on/the lower part of the 2. The safety-latch L, arranged to engage frame, as shown in Figs.- 2 'and 4s. By making with and lock the breech-block as the latter is closed, substantially ce arid for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with said latch we cla-iin" the lever F, pivoted to the breeerblock, and arranged to first depress the latch and then open the 1oreeoh, substantially as deseribe.

4. The latch L and the shoulder or projection D, constructed'eubsttmtcly as described, whereby the breech is locked or secured before it is entirely c1osedas set forth..

5. The combination of the breech-Mock B, ming-pin' e, and swim ging shouder n? arranged to operette substantially as described, whereby the shoulder rst locks the breech ao then hits the firing-pin, as set forth.

' WM. G. DODGE.

PHILLU? T. DODGE.

Witnesses:

HARRY KING', E. A. BREWSTER. 

